Guide · Account · 5 min read
How to Make Your Instagram Account Public
Switch from private to public in under a minute — and understand what changes when you do.
A private account shows your posts only to approved followers. A public account shows them to everyone — which is why every growth strategy on this site assumes a public profile.
How to switch to a public account
It takes about thirty seconds, on iPhone or Android.
Open your profile
Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner of the Instagram app.
Open Settings
Tap the three lines (top right), then Settings and privacy.
Find Account privacy
Scroll to “Who can see your content” and tap Account privacy.
Turn off Private account
Toggle it off and confirm. Your account is public immediately.
Everyone waiting in your follow-request queue becomes a follower the moment you go public. If you want to keep some of them out, remove them before you switch.
What changes when you go public
Three things change on day one.
You gain
- Your posts can reach Explore and Reels feeds
- Strangers can follow without asking
- Hashtags and location tags work for discovery
- Anyone can share your posts to their Story
You give up
- Control over who sees each post
- The request queue — everyone gets in
- Privacy from search engines on old posts
If you are growing an account, the trade is worth it: a private account cannot appear on Explore, its Reels do not reach strangers, and every tool on this site — including our free followers trial and follower counter — only works with public profiles.
Questions people ask
Straight answers about public and private accounts.
How do I know if my account is private?
Open your profile — a private account shows a lock icon next to your name. Or check Settings and privacy, then Account privacy: the “Private account” toggle tells you directly.
Can I switch back to private later?
Yes — the same toggle, switched back on. Your followers stay; new people go back to needing approval. Switching does not delete anything.
Do I lose followers by going public?
No. Everyone who followed you stays, and pending requests are approved automatically. The only change is that new people no longer need permission.
Why do I need a public account for the free trial?
Followers can only be added to an account anyone can see — that is how Instagram works, not our rule. Switch to public, claim the free trial, and you can switch back whenever you like.